fall down

verb

fell down; fallen down; falling down; falls down
Synonyms of fall downnext

intransitive verb

: to fail to meet expectations or requirements
fell down on the job

Examples of fall down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thompson was familiar with the reference in which Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans) get into a catfight and fall down the stairs of the Carrington Mansion. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026 With less than a minute left in the first half, Sam Howell hurled a 39-yard jump ball that fell a bit short of being a contested grab in the air, but Brown fell down with the ball in his grasp with a defensive back draped over him. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Aug. 2026 The driver, Duncan, is wearing black and white and steps out, then DeGroot appears to fall down, an affidavit alleges. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Even though Brian Daboll took the Giants back to the postseason and became Coach of the Year in the process, the Giants have fallen down since, slogging their way to irrelevance. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fall down

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fall down was in 1873

Rhymes for fall down

See All Rhymes for fall down

Browse Nearby Words

fall dandelion
fall down
fall down on the job
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fall down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%20down. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fall down

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fall down

Nglish: Translation of fall down for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All